Oh. My. Gawd. Devil. Whoever. (Oh God You Devil, 1984)

The third and final film in the Oh, God! series actually takes a new approach. Oh, God! You Devil focuses on one soul’s salvation, rather than God giving a guy a mission, this one is about a tug of war over one man’s soul between God and the devil. And it has a gimmick. George Burns plays both God and Devil.

The film opens in the past, as a father prays desperately over his ill son. Then the film picks up to where we meet that child, Bobby Shelton all grown up (Played by Ted Wass-the dad from Blossom). He is a married and struggling musician. His agent cannot do much better than get him wedding gigs.

Meanwhile, we meet the devil. Apparently, the Devil goes by the name Harry O. Tophet (apparently, Tophet is Hebrew for hell). And we know he is the devil because he thinks hurricanes are nice weather and his eyes glow red. The devil is seeking a soul to devour.

We are quickly introduced to a rock star named Billy Wayne (Robert Desidario) who is on tour… He seems desperate and is chatting with a familiar voice-the devil. Apparently, his contract is up and the devil is collecting. In a puff of smoke, Billy Wayne is gone.

Bobby, frustrated by the music business declares he would sell his soul to the devil. While performing at a wedding, Bobby is approached by Tophet. Tophet says he wants to represent Bobby. Bobby is somewhat reluctant, until Tophet shows up at a record meeting. He convinces Bobby to dump his manager (Eugene Roche) and take Tophet into the meeting with the two executives.

The executives read Tophet’s contract, laughing all the way-until Bobby signs the contract. Then everything changes. In a whirlwind, he is signed and on tour. He has fame and riches-as Billy Wayne. But then Bobby gets a shock. He calls his wife Wendy (Roxanne Hart)-only to discover that she believes her husband is home with her. The previous Billy Wayne has taken Bobby’s place in his life.

Bobby soon figures out that he has made a deal with the devil. Tophet tries to discourage Bobby from seeking outside help. Bobby ends up in Vegas attempting to find God. After some prayer God calls Bobby (by phone).

The film culminates in a high stakes poker game between God and Tophet.

Without a doubt, I found this film to be an improvement over the second one. It does not rehash the previous films and finds a different way to resolution. It works in the film’s favor to not make it yet another “God sends a prophet” story. I found the interaction between God effective-I especially like how the poker game works itself out.

Interestingly, it is only in the end that Bobby and God meet face to face. Burns works a bit of that magic from the first film in the conversation, God as kindly, but straight forward (“You made a deal with the devil…how dumb could you be?”) and above all, a sense of mystery touched with love and generosity.

This film was one of Burn’s last (although, he lived another 12 years), and you can see the years are catching up-he seems a bit more tired this time around.

While not as strong as the first film, Oh, God! You Devil actually has a lot to like. I confess, it is a franchise I would not mind seeing tackled again (although, the Bruce/Evan Almighty films tread into this territory).

November 4, 2015 0

Oh. My. Gawd. Again. (Oh God Book II, 1980)

In 1980, God returned to the big screen with Oh, God! Book II. This time, he visits a young girl named Louanne (Tracy Richards) dealing with the separation of her parents (played Suzanne Pleshette and David Birney). Her dad is an adman dating a woman who is given the defining characteristics of having large breasts and obliviousness to Tracy.

God appears to Tracy with a goal. Promote God. He sets a few rules, specifically she cannot tell any adults. So she enlists her friends and they start putting up signs that say Think God. She gets kicked out of school and is sent to see a psychiatrist. The film culminates with God walking in on a group of psychiatrists and challenging them.

While I get what they were going for by having God appear to a child, it never works quite as effectively. For one thing, it is a lot easier to write off a kid believing in an imaginary friend as a phase than a grown man claiming he can see God. I question the likelihood that a kid would get hauled before a psychiatric tribunal to determine her mental health. I suspect it would be written off as cute things precocious little kids do.

The other problem is the film rehashes the same questions. Like Jerry, Tracy wants to know why there is suffering. Why choose me? Admittedly, these are questions that come up repeatedly, but still…it would have been nice for them to tackle some other tough questions.

Burns is good as God, but the film tends to drag when he is not around. The overall feeling is this was rushed to the floor, even though there is a three year gap from the first film. Ultimately, I did not find myself enjoying the complete retread.

November 3, 2015 0

Oh. My. Gawd. (Oh God, 1977)

The last hurrah of films from the hard working comic George Burns, I had not seen the Oh God films since the first film was shown to me in Catholic school.

The first film introduces us to hardworking grocery store manager Jerry (John Denver) and his wife Bobbie (Teri Garr). One day, Jerry gets a phone call to have a meeting. Upon arriving at the address, he take the elevator that leads to a simple white office with a chair and a speaker. The voice from the speaker claims to be God and He wants Jerry to be his messenger.

Jerry, certain he is being pranked, tries to find the voice. After leaving, he discovers that the floor he was on does not exist. Troubled, but still thinking it might be a joke who heads on out. Then God starts speaking to him through the radio. When Jerry tells Bobbie, she tries to convince herself he is not crazy-it’s not like he is seeing things.

And then God appears in Jerry’s bathroom and car. So, Jerry asks for proof. Prove he’s God. Make it rain, Jerry says. And so God makes it rain-inside the car. “Why ruin other peoples’ day?” God reasons. And so Jerry takes on the task of spreading God’s message.

It is a pretty simply Golden Rule style message about treating each other with love and respect. People think Jerry is crazy, he becomes a public joke, God comes through in the end to provide his defense against a cadre of ministers and psychologists when Jerry is accused by a televangelist of slander.

I like these films. There is a neat simplicity to the portrayal of God. Burns plays him as kind, gentle, wise, mysterious, funny and playful and loving. He is not a God of showy pomp and circumstance, he wears a baseball cap and a windbreaker…and he comes off as playing it by ear. At one point, Jerry asks why God chose him, especially stumped because h was not a religious man.

God simply says, “why not you?” Jerry is taken aback by this seemingly careless attitude God has… God asks if Jerry thought maybe he was chosen because he was better than others. Sheepishly Jerry admits the thought has crossed his mind. God points out the obvious… he is better than some, worse than others.

Jerry works specifically because he is kind of the hapless everyman who takes the message out to the powerful. Certainly, there are things that would trouble believers…throughout the series God comments on mistakes he made, such as creating “shame” (don’t know why I ever thought it was needed, God says). And some would be bothered that the message is generic, rather than specifically Christian. God makes no mention of needing Jesus, which I suspect would be problematic to certain viewers.

But I find the film and Burn’s approach both endearing and kind of inspiring. God chooses Jerry, though admits he could have chosen anyone. Jerry isn’t special… and that is kind of the point. And the most powerful being in the universe takes on the appearance of a frail little man with bad fashion sense.

It also brings up something I have always found to be a bit odd. If someone walks around and claims to be speaking to God-having honest to goodness actual conversations with God appearing visually and audibly… even Christians think that guy is flirting with insanity at best. It’s one thing to “feel led” or to think God spoke to you through a song… but say you see God in a physical form and have conversations with him? That is nutty!

Overall, I found the film to be a fun viewing, even after thirty years. It’s a gentle, amusing film that can, at times, be challenging.

November 1, 2015 0